Aleppo returned to full government control for the first time since 2012, the Syrian army said Thursday, a major victory for President Bashar al-Assad and a crushing blow for the fractious armed opposition.

The Syrian army declared the city had been “liberated” and security restored, according to state-run SANA news agency.

As the last convoy left eastern Aleppo, meanwhile, the weeklong evacuation of tens of thousands of civilians and rebels from the final remaining opposition-held areas of the city drew to a close Thursday night.